


Awkward Confessions for Awkward Circumstances

by i_write_for_my_friends



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Brothers, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Unplanned Pregnancy, but then i added ryoboro @ the beginning rip me, im self-indulging again but idc, ryoboro hell, some sexual themes but its fluff, this is really cute pair trust me, this was rly just meant to be anxious ryoma telling taku
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7475142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_write_for_my_friends/pseuds/i_write_for_my_friends
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Funny,” started his confession. “I uh, heard something about her, actually,”</p><p>“Oh?” Takumi looked at the older prince, waiting for him to finish his sentence.</p><p>Ryoma couldn’t face his brother. He trained his eyes to the floor, praying he wouldn’t gargle his words in his mouth. “I think she’s, ah, pregnant,”</p><p> </p><p>(in which Oboro forces her boyfriend to tell the truth to his brother, despite the awkward circumstance)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Awkward Confessions for Awkward Circumstances

**Author's Note:**

> i'm so sorry for posting nothing but ryoma/oboro nonstop somebody kill me and end my suffering please.

_“She told me I was expecting, and that I’m three months along.”_

It didn’t honestly surprise him at the time; their last romp in the sheets was only a week before constant nausea kept her out of the mood, and they fooled around whenever the opportunity met itself. Reflecting on his actions, he realized too late that he made poor decisions, since she was just his girlfriend, and they kept their relationship a secret.

However, he wasn’t going to ditch his new responsibility and leave it behind. He agreed that they needed to come forth with the truth, at least to his siblings, but that was what stressed him out the most.

It all boiled down to Takumi.

Telling Hinoka was reasonable in his mind at first; she was the second oldest, it was her right by age that she was allowed to hear it first. He started having doubts once he’d remembered what an awful liar she was, and that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, the pressure being harder on her relative to how big the new piece of information was. She was shooed out of his mind before he could imagine her cracking under the weight and blurting it out in front of everybody.

 _Sakura,_ he thought, trying to brainstorm pros. She didn’t have ties to Oboro, and could keep secrets from her siblings, it was solid, until she’d run to Hana, who’d then sprint in the wrong direction, telling the wrong people, and make matters even more complicated for him.

Corrin would result in the same as Hinoka, and Azura had gone through too much in her life to handle it on her own, and she was closer to Takumi than any of them were. His sisters had all been systematically ruled out, and his process of elimination only bought him time to avoid what he knew was going to happen.

_“You’re eventually going to have to tell him.”_

That was one month ago.

“We can’t wait any longer, Ryoma.” Her complaint didn’t fall on deaf ears. He stared out his window, eyes focused on nothing as he groggily sipped his morning tea. She was pacing back and forth, throwing outfits and accessories onto the floor in a panicked manner. “Are you _listening_ to me?”

Turning around, he noted that she was still in her loose-fitted nightgown with just her smallclothes and her little bump underneath, and her hair was down, not yet styled into her ponytail. Those were telltale signs that she wasn’t particularly having the greatest morning, so he placed his cup down, striding over to pick up the mess she’d wrought on the mat.

“Seriously,” she continued, not backing down just because he was her superior by status. “He needs to know, and I can’t trust Orochi to shut up forever.” She pinched the bridge of her nose while he placed the clothes she threw onto his futon, folding each properly before setting it down.

“You’re his retainer, don’t you think for professional reasons, _you_ should let him know?” He dodged having to say yes or no, hearing her sigh in frustration and stomp her foot.

“I _can’t!_ I used to have a crush on him! It’s too awkward!”

“And he’s my _brother!_ ” Slamming the last piece of folded fabric on top of the pile, he looked back at her when he resisted. “How do you think that’s going to be for _me?_ ‘Hey Takumi, I’ve been sleeping with the girl that used to fantasize about you,’? What _else_ am I supposed to say to him?”

Ryoma instantly regretted his outburst, feeling claustrophobic when he watched his girlfriend fall to her knees, balling her fists as she breathed rapidly. He never wanted to do anything that would make her slightly uncomfortable, and seeing her so fragile for the first time was like being stabbed in the cold dead of night, left alone in darkness to bleed out and die.

“Oboro?” he anxiously called to her, inching his way over to her when she didn’t bark out a reply like she did when she needed space. He sat down next to her, unphased when she refused to meet his gaze as she sniffled in the other direction. “Hey, come here-” slowly and very cautiously, he slid one arm around her back, the other under her knees, and he moved the poor girl into his lap. Her head hung low, and he kissed the top of it before nuzzling into her, and her arms went over and around his shoulders. “I’m so sorry,” was all he could offer as he held her, letting her rage out her swirling emotions.

“It’s just...so hard,” there was another sniffle, and he nodded to express his sympathy. “I don’t know if I’m ready, and I’m so tired and sick all the time...I-I’m starting to show, Ryoma…”

“I’m so, so sorry, Oboro...I shouldn't have been so irresponsible with you…” He cleared his throat to prepare himself for what he had to say next. “I’ll tell him, then you can be relieved from your duties, and if you wish to split, I swear that I won’t step out from supporting you with the baby,”

She shook her head, hiding in the crook of his neck for some time before replying. “No, I want our child to grow up with both of their parents. I want us to be a real family,” she pleaded, holding one of his cheeks in her palms. He leaned into her touch, having been reminded that even though she’d also lost her parents, she didn’t have any siblings like he did that could stay with her after the tragedy. She was alone, save for him, their baby, and her hopes of a future together.

“I won’t leave you,” her lover murmured, holding her hand in his as he stroked her knuckles with his thumb. “Somebody has to take care of you, and I’d say I’m the only one stubborn enough to not back down to _that_ challenge.” There was a muffled snort from her, and he pictured her beautiful smile he fell in love with so many months ago hidden from his view. “I would have proposed to you much earlier, had I known then you wanted the same thing.”

“You’re telling him before you do any proposing, you hear? I _will_ say no to you.” He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief with a bashful grin.

“All right, then I’d better get to it. You’re coming with me real quick.”

Before Oboro could ask what the hell that meant, Ryoma had put his arm back under her knees, gripping her lower thigh as he steadily rose to his feet. She looked to him for the slightest hint of what was going on, and he carried her to his futon. His eyes stayed on hers, and she felt her face grow hot as he lowered her onto the mattress.

 _“What are you doing?”_ She instinctively furrowed her brows, feeling incredibly flustered when she couldn’t take her hands off him when she tried. He stood over the side of the bedding but hovered over her, leaving her in a compromising position that made her back feel sticky even though her attire wasn’t tight.

“I’m letting you rest,” he informed and pressed his lips to her forehead. “It won’t do you well to ignore your body. It’s not just yours anymore, remember?”

“Yeah, I got that part, but…”

“Yes?”

His girlfriend averted her gaze and looked anywhere that wasn’t his face. Clearly, he was teasing. She knew he had to be. She blew some of her bangs away from her eyes, hoping she’d get her point across.

“I don’t know, you just...had this look, and what you said, and then you brought me here, I just thought-”

 _“Oboro!_ ” came a sudden and sharp reprimand that was clearly fake by his exaggeration. “You have a dirty mind! I was only trying to do you a favor so you didn’t have to walk over, sheesh!”

“Whatever,” she pouted after her fit of laughter had subsided. _That was her prince._ He could make light of any situation, and talking to him felt so _easy,_ so _natural._ She understood his body language and tones near perfectly, and it always left her with a jittery kind of feeling that he exposed every side of his personality to her, and only her. Walking towards the door, she sat and waited for him to exit before sleeping in for the day.

“I’ll miss you when I wake up and you’re not here,” her voice almost cracked and she tried swallowing her feelings of regret for putting herself out there.

Ryoma stopped his hand from sliding the screen door open any further, looking back at her with guilt etched on his face. He considered offering her his company until she fell asleep, but he only had so much time before Takumi would wonder where his female retainer was, and gods forbid he found her. “I’ll miss you waking up, and not having me be the first thing you see. Get some rest, Oboro. Prince’s orders.” He slipped through the tiny crack he pushed open, waving to her before he slid the door shut. The prince stood outside his room and collected his thoughts on what the best approach would be.

 

Maybe they were overthinking the situation. Takumi had never admitted to harboring feelings for her, nor did he act like a man in love when she was in his presence. Maybe, Takumi would act as if there wasn’t anything awkward about their relationship at all, and he would congratulate them instead. Or, much like his brother, would he crinkle his nose upon hearing his older sibling had been pining for a woman he could have, who was under an oath to protect his life. It made him uncomfortable to think of his possible different reactions, but he couldn't let Oboro suffer another day working when she couldn't stand straight without something causing her pain or discomfort.

His brother had to be still in his own room and preparing himself to go down flights of stairs for breakfast. Fortunately for him, the youngest prince was the last to rise in Shirasagi, which had compensated him for settling his pregnant and very emotional retainer down. He only wished when he had the opportunity that he asked his girlfriend when she usually reported in to her lord, so he could have a time frame of how much longer he had before Takumi would begin to suspect anything. A single knock on the panel later, it slid to his left, revealing the archer whose smile up and vanished.

Oh, great.

“Ryoma,” he must have looked more nervous than he thought, because the younger prince’s skittish greeting also expressed minor concern. “good morning,” After swallowing, it was clear to the older that he was doing his best to downplay that he knew something was up.

“Same to you, Takumi.” There had to be _something_ he could do or say before their conversation became stagnant, but his brain refused to cooperate and throw him any icebreakers to set him up for the big news. Luckily for him, Takumi was going to use his intuition to keep their interaction from dying. “Ah, well, I came because I thought it would be nice, to chat, before either of us got too busy,”

Nodding, the younger sibling didn’t move from being wedged between the opening he was poking his head out of. “Yeah, I’m fine with that. Would you like to in your room, though? My retainers should be here any min-”

“No, that’s alright!” Takumi flinched at his brother waving his arms at the offer, and Ryoma knew he was in trouble when his brother arched an eyebrow at being cut off. “I mean, I can make this quick, it would take up even more of your time if we walked to my room, right?”

“Oh, sure.” The archer pushed his screen open with his body, allowing his brother to step in. They sat on his floor, Takumi’s sight fixed on Ryoma and his distracted eyes. “Hinata usually arrives pretty punctually every day, I’ll just tell him to wander around for a bit until we’re done.”

“And Oboro?” Feigning ignorance was all he could do until Takumi knew the reason he was sought out. He even leaned in to appear curious and interested in what his little brother had to say.

 _“Oboro,”_ scoffed the younger distastefully, though a tinge of worry was shoveled under his layers of annoyance. “She used to come _way_ before Hinata, show up just as I’d wake up every morning.”

Ryoma bit the inside of his cheek until it drew blood. “Really? What happened?”

The other prince shrugged his shoulders, the sneer on his face still not wiped clean. “Dunno. She just started checking in later, it’s been going on for maybe two months now,” Ryoma’s blood ran cold as it left his head. “She won’t talk to me about it, either.”

“Funny,” started his confession. “I uh, heard something about her, actually,”

“Oh?” Takumi looked at the older prince, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Ryoma couldn’t face his brother. He trained his eyes to the floor, praying he wouldn’t gargle his words in his mouth. “I think she’s, ah, pregnant,”

“Wait, wait; you said _pregnant?”_

“Yes, it’s what I’ve heard, anyway,”

Takumi blinked twice, registering what had just been told to him. There was an exhilarated gasp, and he covered his mouth with his hands.

“She’s- so she- wow! Just, wow! Oh my goodness!” His positive reaction was small comfort, so he watched him, only hoping he’d stay so jovial once he learned who the father was.

“Shit, I’ve been such a jerk to her lately, but...really! I’m so happy for her! How come I didn’t hear first? How do you know? Who told-”

“Takumi, I’m the one who-” he kept his head bowed, prepared for the worst that could come. Clearing his throat made him feel no less apprehensive and shameful in front of his younger sibling. “-made her that way.”

“...Oh.”

The room was quiet, and Takumi had to manually close his mouth. “...I came to tell you that she is feeling extremely unwell today, and I’ve ordered her to rest,” Ryoma felt filthier by the second, exposed in front of his brother who fell silent upon the bigger twist of news. “I apologize if her not coming in inconveniences you, and there aren’t any words that can express my shame, brother. I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I’ve done.”

“Listen, Ryoma, Oboro’s been through a lot,” halted the younger, pulling back his bangs when he ran his palm over his forehead. “So there are only two ways I can react to this, but you need to answer a question for me first.”

“I’m ready.”

“Do you love her?”

His memory flashed him back to when he saw her supplying blankets and cooked meals to the injured at Fort Jinya. She nearly collapsed on him earlier that day from a sheer lack of energy, and agreed to his face that she would turn in for the night sooner than usual. Seeing her volunteering and disobeying his orders would’ve left him in a sour state for a few days if he hadn’t expected her to be there, but he knew. Before he could step out into the open, blowing his cover to scold her and remind her to take it easy, she was engaged in a conversation with one of the soldiers, and it happened.

The woman she was talking to explained that she was going to make a full recovery, thanks to Oboro’s overly diligent bedside manner, and she could go back home and support her children. Her tears came and the sky knight offered what little money she had in her pockets. Oboro vehemently refused, but the smile that formed on her lips was like no beauty he’d ever seen before. His heart burned warmer than the sun, rising in his throat twice as fast, and his eyes never left her image. The prince was certain what he felt for her was real, and she had the same effect on him ever since.

“Yeah, I think I do…”

A long sigh of relief escaped through Takumi’s lungs, his mouth curving into a modest grin. “I’m so glad she’s found someone who makes her happy, Ryoma. I couldn’t think of anyone else with a kinder heart and better head on their shoulders, and you’re going to need both to deal with her.” Amidst all the negative emotional responses he was going through, his brother’s words gave him enough peace to laugh at his snarky comment, and much of his initial tensions were gone.

“I’m already aware, I actually told her something scarily similar today before I came to speak with you.”

“Oh, good, so you do know how difficult she can be,” mused the younger, who was quite possibly still overjoyed that he was going to be the uncle of her child. “Say, where is she?”

“In my room, _hopefully_ sleeping, but she does do as she pleases…”

“Right, I should’ve guessed.” Takumi shook his head back and forth until a thought ran through his mind. ”Oh my gods, wait- about half a year ago I noticed she would get to my room by coming down a different hall, one that can lead to yours...have you guys been..?”

Ryoma, crossing his arms, only reticently nodded.

“Oh, you _devil!”_ His brother leaned forward and punched his spaulders, shaking off his hand when he had hit them too hard. “Boy oh boy, did you get to work fast!” The current direction of the coversation began to make Ryoma feel incredibly under the weather, but Takumi wasn’t ready to let up. “Alright, you gotta tell me: How many times have you guys... _done_ ‘it’?”

The blush creeping up on his tart face told Takumi everything through his silence. “Oh, don’t tell me...once was all it took?”

“N-No! And no! I don’t think this is really appropriate between brothers to be talking about!”

“Come on, Ryoma. I’m a grown man, and you’re a _grown man._ Sure, you pretend around your sisters that sex isn’t even a word, but I’m just a fellow guy, okay? A fellow guy that’s just teasing and having fun, anyways.”

The older prince, upon realizing he maybe did overreact, huffed to calm some of his nerves. He planned a counterattack, once his demeanor was unshakable again, smirking a mile wide. “You’re right, thanks, Takumi. You’d never tell by looking at her, but she makes some pretty weird noises in bed,”

“Really?” His brown eyes blossomed, and Ryoma knew he got him trapped. “Yeah, like what?”

“Well, this one time she started hissing, almost like a snake, sometimes she sounds like one of those kinshi birds, and, well, there was this _one_ other thing she did,”

His brother was all ears now; he had a good laugh trying to imagine her making the same noise as those beastly avians their culture feared so greatly, and he absolutely had to know what else she’d done, hopefully to snicker in her face for it one day. “Ryoma, just tell me!”

“Okay, another time, she’s spewing all sorts of nonsense profanities, but then she stops, and drops a _name.”_

“What!? Whose!? Whose name did she say!?”

Ryoma almost felt sorry for buttering him up, just to lie and make him wet his pants. He stared straight into the depths of his brother’s soul, watching his adam’s apple bob slowly, then climb back down his throat.

_“Takumi.”_

His brother didn’t move. On cue, Hinata burst into the room as Ryoma rose back on his feet, startled to see him there as well. “L-Lord Ryoma! What a nice surprise, sir! And good morning, Takumi, I hope you’ve slept well?”

When the second prince didn’t reply from his spot on the floor, Ryoma placed a firm yet respectful hand on the younger samurai’s shoulder, and Hinata beamed with awe. “Hello, Hinata. Takumi and I have just finished a very interesting story! He told me he’d like to tell you it, though.” With a gentle pat, the prince took his leave with a confident step in his strides. His brother had taken to his trap like fish on a net.

Takumi didn’t talk to either of them for weeks.


End file.
